Promoter of the Celebrity Boxing Franchise, Dr. Ezekiel Adamu, says celebrity boxing is delivering more than entertainment, arguing that it is creating economic opportunities, expanding professional boxing and providing a pathway for African talent.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE News on Sunday, Adamu said the celebrity bouts are part of a broader strategy to grow boxing into a mainstream sport while attracting global attention to professional fighters.
He said, “Chaos in the ring is beyond a boxing event or a celebrity fight. I think it’s a platform that provides opportunity for African talent. You see us going to the hood a lot and going to the neighborhood. It’s a platform for hope. It’s a platform for economic opportunity at scale. It’s also a platform for global storytelling.”
Adamu highlighted the financial opportunities emerging from the franchise, citing the success of young Nigerian fighters who have secured international exposure and lucrative contracts.
He said, “There’s a fighter on the show, Yusuf Adeniji. I think I met Yusuf Adeniji about a year ago. Yusuf couldn’t even pay for transport from Alakpere to my office here in Ikoyi. I had to pay him and all of that. So we sent him on a training camp to Ghana, got him to represent Nigeria at the WBC Grand Prix in Riyadh.”
He added, “There’s a fighter on the show in December, Rahim Animasha. Rahim Animasha is a Unilag student, 17-year-old kid. And after the fight, he immediately signed a multi-year contract with Zufo Boxing, worth almost US$750,000.”
Adamu also pointed to the wider economic impact of the events, saying businesses are benefiting from increased activity around fight nights.
He said, “So the economy of it is huge. Talk about even the Friday fight night that we just had now. We had almost about 20 SMEs, vendors, come into the space. It’s a huge economy.”
He said celebrity contests are designed to attract audiences before introducing them to professional boxing.
“And in order to make sports a mainstream thing, that’s why we brought the influencers. Because when you bring the influencers here, you won’t have that much eye. So the vision for us is to use the influencers to bring huge eyeballs to the sports. And I use the professionals to keep you watching the sports.”
Adamu maintained that boxing presents a significant economic opportunity for Nigeria and should be developed further.
He said, “Boxing is an economy. It’s a huge sports economy. I think it’s fastest growing sports everywhere in the world.”
He added that the long-term objective is to create more opportunities for local athletes to compete and earn at the highest level without leaving the continent.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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